3 July 2011

New personal flags for the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge for use in Canada

In connection with the ongoing visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada, two new royal flags created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority and approved by HM Queen Elizabeth II, were unveiled.

The Governor General of Canada, Rt.Hon. David Johnston was pleased with the unveiling, and gave the following statement at the official website:

These new flags created for The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge are magnificent expressions of our constitutional monarchy and heritage. [...] As we prepare to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to experience this marvelous country, I am sure that many Canadians will take great interest in these new emblems. As head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, I am delighted with the work of our Canadian heralds in preparing these designs.

According to the information provided by the Office of the Governor General, the two new flags are based on HM The Queen's personal flag for use in Canada (image 3), which uses the Royal Arms of Canada as its basis. Since the flag was adopted in 1962, Her Majesty has been the only member to have a flag for use in Canada.

According to the fact sheet on the personal flags presented this week, the designs were - as already stated - developed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, "working with the households of Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge". The personal heraldic flags are used during travelling in Canada.

The new flag of the Prince of Wales (image 1) is described as follows: "The flag bears a blue roundel within a wreath of golden maple leaves for Canada. The centre features the badge commonly known as The Prince of Wales's feathers, used by the heir apparent to the Sovereign. Near the top of the flag is the traditional heraldic mark of an eldest male child, the three-point white label."

The new flag of the Duke of Cambridge (image 2): "The flag bears a blue roundel within a wreath of golden maple leaves for Canada, and of shells, a symbol borrowed from his coat of arms. The centre features his Cypher, composed of the letter "W" with a coronet above it that indicates he is the child of the heir apparent to the Sovereign. Near the top of the flag is the personal three-point white label charged with a red shell, taken from his coat of arms."

The flag of HM The Queen (image 3): "The flag bears a blue roundel within a wreath of roses in gold. The centre features her Cypher, composed of the letter 'E' with the Royal Crown above it, also in gold."

All the flags use the Royal Arms of Canada, in banner form, as their basis.

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This blog is written by Dag T. Hoelseth, a Norwegian historian specialising in royal history.
I have a Cand.philol. degree in history from the University of Oslo and graduated in 1997 with the dissertation Det nasjonale kongedømme. Det norske monarkiet 1905-1910, which dealt with the royal election in Norway 1905 and how the new dynasty "became Norwegian".
I am the author of Historisk utredning om Kongehuset, dets apanasjer og disponible statseiendommer, which was published on behalf of the Palace Committee in 2001. The report focused among others on the history of the Norwegian civil list from 1905 to the 1970s as well as the properties the king of Norway has to his disposal.
I have made contributions to several antologies and also written articles for various publications. More often I have operated "behind the scene", consulting newspapers etc. with background information.
Among my other interests are genealogy, Norwegian-American emigration history, US presidential history, traveling, football and ice hockey.